Can Barcelona Still Compete for the La Liga Crown in Xavi’s Last Hurrah?

Barcelona vs Getafe

With Real Madrid pulling away from the La Liga title race, the only objectives remaining for Barcelona to achieve this season are to try and win the Champions League and secure a top four berth for next season.

Right now, the most realistic one is the latter since they’re in third place in the Spanish top-flight standings after a recent upturn in form, going undefeated in their last four league matches.

After beating Celta Vigo 2-1 on Sunday, Xavi’s men were held to a 1-1 draw against Napoli in the Champions League Round of 16, so there’s a concern that they are going to be tired when they host Getafe on Saturday.

Getafe managed to move into 10^th place since they’ve had positive La Liga 2024 results lately, so the hosts cannot underestimate them at all.

Talking Points

Lewandowski back at his best for Barcelona

If Barcelona somehow make it back to the La Liga title race, it’ll likely be on the back of Robert Lewandowski’s solid goalscoring form.

In his last three games, the Pole found the back of the net four times, including a brace against Celta Vigo on Sunday. And then in last night’s clash against Napoli, he scored during the hour mark, and they almost won the game if it weren’t for Victor Osimhen’s equaliser.

Lewandowski has now scored 93 Champions League goals, good for third in the competition’s all-time scoring list, only behind Lionel Messi (129) and Cristiano Ronaldo (140).

With 12 goals and five assists this season, Robert Lewandowski is currently fifth in the La Liga Golden Boot race, so look for him to stay aggressive against Getafe.

But Lewandowski is not the only man that Getafe have to slow down since Barca might bring back Joao Felix into the starting XI.

Felix came off the bench against Napoli after being sidelined for almost a month, and he is the team’s third-leading scorer with seven goals so far this season.

Greenwood looking at home with Getafe

Mason Greenwood was sent out on loan until the end of the 2023-24 season following an internal investigation by Manchester United, and at the time, it was expected that it was unlikely he would ever play for the club again.

But fast forward to today, and Manchester United are taking a second look at the 22-year-old, given how he has performed at Getafe so far this season.

With five goals and five assists, Greenwood is Los Azulones’ second-leading scorer. He has been linked with moves to various clubs, including Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, if reports are to be believed.

Getafe said earlier that they are keen on keeping Greenwood on a permanent basis this summer, but it all depends on whether Manchester United are willing to sell him.

As for this upcoming game, Greenwood will be partnered with Borja Mayoral up front once again. Mayoral is currently second in the La Liga Golden Boot race with 15 goals, only one behind Jude Bellingham.

History

Barcelona have only won one of their last four La Liga games against Getafe (D3) after winning six of their previous seven against them (L1).

These two sides have already faced off at the start of the 2023-24 campaign in August. The said game ended in a heated goalless draw, as Raphinha and Jaime Mata were both sent off.

But since then, Barcelona have scored at least once in their last 24 La Liga games (52 goals total), which is their longest scoring streak in the competition since May 2021, when they had 65 goals in 26 games under Ronald Koeman.

On the other hand, Getafe are undefeated in their last three La Liga games (W1, D2) after losing three of their previous four (W1). And Jose Bordalas’ boys have lost just one of their last five La Liga road matches (W1, D3).

Betting Tip

The SBOTOP La Liga 2024 odds are in favour of Xavi’s side winning this weekend, as Barcelona are installed as 1.37 favourites, whereas Getafe are 6.80 underdogs, and a draw is at 4.47 in the 1X2 market.

But given that Getafe have been somewhat of a bogey team for Barca lately, we wouldn’t rule out any result, so instead, we’ll look at the possible goal count in this contest.

Other than our recommended bet above, Total Goals 0-1 at 4.13 seems like another great bet to consider based on their recent meetings.

Meanwhile, if you fancy a draw, then check out Correct Score 0-0 – the result of their last two encounters – since it is on offer at 15.00.

 

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